Drinking-cup dispenser



July 27,1926. 1594,134

E. S. TAYLOR E'l AL DRINKING CUP DISPENSER Filed April 28, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f.; i z i 1 y 'j l y l? J0 |l l g l i I0 J6 l' I i I /11 Y l: gl I r i' i e LM 2 l MAMMA A ra/55;?? 7' July 27 1 926.

A1,594,134 E. S. TAYLCR El' AL..

DRINKING CUP DISPENSER Filed April 28' 1922 2 smmsfsneet 2 @MS *.jL

420 of the dispensing structure.

'Patented *July 27,l 1926. y

UNITED 'STATES 1 PAT-ENT, OFFICE.'

e nz'nlA s. 'rAYLOn AND wILLIAiI II'. mussnr, OF'CIIICACO, ILLINoIs, AssIGNons 'ro man rULLnAN COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION Or ILLINOIS.

nnINxINo-CUP nIsriiNsiin.

Application led April v28, 192% vSerial 110. 557,108.

The invention 'relates generally to dispensing mechanisms, and is particularly concerned with devices for housing and dispensin g collapsed paper drinking cups.

The principal purpose oi the invention resides in the rovision of'an improved cup dispenser pecu- 'arly adaptable for installation in such locations as the narrow oii'set.

end-corridors of Pullman railway cars when economy of space and the directions of both y manipulationand discharge of the dispenser L are the controlling factors in gauging the desirability of the device for its employment in such-locations. l l5 While .the foregoin statement is indica' tive of the nature o the invention, other objects andfadvantages not herein specifically referred to will .a full comprehension' of the novel features V In orderthat the invention may be readily understood, a' referred embodiment ofthe' same isset fort in the accompanying drawf ings and in the following) detailed descrip,- tion based thereon.. Obviously the inven-` tion is susceptible of embodiment inother and varied constructional forms without departure from the essen of -the invention or thesacrilice of its material'advantages;

,- wherefore it is to be understood that the drawings and description are to be taken in an illustrative and not in anounnecessarily limiting sense.

In the drawin gig. 1 is a. side e ovation of the dispenser; ig. 2 is a vertical section on the line- 2-2OfFig.1;"-.\ Fig. Bis a horizontal section on the line 3-3ofFig.2;" l

Fig. 4 is a. similar section on the ,line

Fig. 5 is a similar section on the line i '5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2; and l Fig'. 7 is a similar section on the line 7-7oFig.3.' l*

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, it will be observed that the outer casing 10-of the-dispenser comprises a vertical,- ly positioned metal tube -1'1 of substantially elongated rectangular cross-section which is closed at its upper end by a cap 12 and at' its lower end' y a cap'13. The casing is provide-d, at aishort distance above the cap be' appreciated upon 13, with a horizontal false bottom 14 upon which a vertical stack ofthe collapsed drinking cups 15 are supported. v Above this false bottom one of the relatively narrow side walls of the casing is v equipped with a 'door 16 occupying the major portion of said wall, and the opposite side wall is equipped with a narrow vertical sight glass 17. The door, which is hinged along its bottom and locked at its-top, gives access to the casing for replenishing the supply of cups therein; and the sight glass permits, without the necessity of unocking and opening the door, an inspection at any time to determine the number of cups yet stacked therein. v

The relatively wide front and rear walls of the casing are vertically corrugated from points just above the false bottom 14 to pointsl just below the cap 12 by the formation, in theouter face of each, of preferably two inwardly pressed recesses 18. These recesses-' which are shown most clearly in Fig. 3-serve, first, to give added rigidity to the casing; second, toprovide Jspace for 30 the means used for attaching the rear wall of the casing flush to the wall 19 of the car passageway; and, third, to provide, on the inside of the casing, two oppositely disposed .vertical channels 20`in'which the trunnions 21 of a vertically slidable weight member 22 are adapted to move, and resulting ribs 23 on both sides of the guide channels for mainvtaining the4 stacked cups in vertical alignment. Inasmuch as the corrugations do not extend down to the 'false bottom 14 on which the lowermostlcup iii the stack rests, short vertical weight and cup-guiding strips 24' are introduced, as illustrated in Fig. 4,.be

tween the false bottom and the lower ends of the ribsv 23 to provide, in effect, downward coiitinuations of the latter.

\ The means referred to for attaching the casing to the supporting wall .preferably consists of two su stantially fiat .hooks 25 1GO which are secured rigidly tothe rear wall of the casing in the upper ends of the recesses 18. The 'free ends of the hooks are oit'set slightly from the bases of the recesses and r are 4adapted to roject downwardly through 1,05

openin s provi ed for that purpose in substantia y'flatband clips 26 secured by screws or the like to the supporting wall, the clips being Aof lesswidth than the recesses 18 in the casing in order that the hooks and clips may be completely contained within the recesses when the casing is properly mounted von the supportingwall with its rear 4wall held iiush, and in approximate peripheral contact, with the same.`

The weight member 22 referred to is, aside from the medially projecting trunnions 21, of elongated rectangular shape with l an upturned flange about 'its entire periphery and is adapted to rest upon the top of the uppermost cup 15 in the stack. The purpose of the member 22 is to apply a downward pressure on the stacked cups to insure that the lowermost cup--andparticularly the closed end thereof-is resting Hatly Yon the false bottom 14 in proper position to be engaged by the ejector mechanism. That end of the weight member disposed' over the closed ends of the cups is provided with a weight 28 for a purpose hereinafter apparent. A handle 29 may be attached to the upper surface of the Weight member if desired as a convenient means for lifting that member when inserting a new stack of cups thereunder.

The ejector mechanism will now be described. `A horizontal cup slot 30 is provided in the casing iush with the top of the false -bottom 14 and in alignment with the closed end of the lowermost cup-15. An ejector plate 31 is reciprocally mounted in the channel of a guide bracket 32 Secured to the under side of the false bottom 14, and is provided at one end. with an upturned cupengaging lip 33 which1 projects through an aperture 34 in the false bottom 14. When the ejector plate 31'is moved toward one side of the casing in the direction of the cup slot 30, the lip 33 is adapted,- A. y `abutting against the downwardly facing overlappe and sealed edge 35 of4 the lowermost cup, to push the cup with its closed end foremost l a short distance through the discharge slot 3() at one side of lthe dispenser. The projecting closed end of the cup may then be grasped between ones`ingers and-the cup withdrawn from the slot. v

While'it is highly desirable that the cup be `discharged from thedispenser closed end foremost and at a point at` one side of the dispenser where a person standing in the narrow passageway 1n front of and necessarily quite close to the dispenser can conveniently grasp and remove the partially exposed .cup, it is also equally desirable that the .ejecting mechanismv actuating this lateral discharge of Athe cups be voperated by a` manual movement toward or away from the person standing in front of`the'dispenser. In order to accomplish this the ejector slide 31 is provided on its under surface with a downwardly projecting lug 36 which moves in a slot 37 of the guide bracket 32.I The lower end of the lug 36 rides in an oblique cam slot 38 formed in a slide 39. Thisslide is reciprocally mounted to move horizontally at right angles to the ejector plate inthe channel of a guide bracket 40 secured'centrally to the front andrearywalls of the position-'in which position it isnormallyA maintained by the action of a coil spring 44-theejector lip 33 islin its retracted position ready to engage the lowermost cup; and, when the handle 41 is pulled forwardly the ejector lip-through the cam connection l '.of the ejector plate with the s lide 39is moved laterally of the casing toward the cup slot 30 and projects the closed end of the lowermost cup therethrough.-

We claim:

1. In a' d evice for dispensing drinking cups, a caslng adapted to contain a plurality of collapsible cups in superpose relation and provided in one vertical wall with a horizontal slot for the discharge of the lowermost cup, a horizontally reciprocable slide movable toward the slot and provided interiorlylof the casing with means for projecting the lowermost cup into the slot, another horizontally reciprocable slide movable transversely of the first mentioned slide and provided eXteriorly of the casing with means for moving the same, an oblique cam surface presented by one slide, 'and a projection presented by the other slide and coacting with the cam surface :for causing movement ofA onev slide upon movement of the other. 1 e l f2." In a device for dispensing drinking cups, a casing adapted to contain a plurality of collapsible cups in superpose relation and. provided in one vertical wall with a horizontal slot for the discharge of the lower- R most cup, a horizontally reciprocable slide movable toward the slot and provided and provided exteriorly Yof the casing with means for moving the same, anda coactin pin and oblique slot connection between the slides for causing movement of the former upon movement of the latter.-

3.' A device for dispensing drinkin cups, a casing adaptecltoy contain a plura 'ty lof collapsible `cups in superposed relation and provided in one lvertical wall with av hori- /zo'tal slot forthe discharge of the lower-4 most cup, means for horizontally projecting the lowermost cup into the slot, and a horlzontally reciprocable linger piece connected .with the cu *feeding means and. movable lengthwise o a slot in the bottom of the cas- 1,504,184' d l a 8' ing at right angles to the direction of feed of the cups for operating the cup feeding means. 1

'4. In a device for dispensing drinking cups, a casing adapted to contain .a plurality of collapsible cups insuperimposed relationand provided in one vertical wall with a horizontal slot for the discharge of the lowermost cup, a horizontal artition within the casing atthe level of t e slot for supporting the cups, a horizontally reciprocable ejector plate movable along the under side of the partition and provided with 'a lip projecting upwardlythrough a .slot in the partition to engage with and feed the 15 lowermost cup, a. horizontally reciprocable handle .movable at right angles to the direction of movement of the ejector plate, and a .pin and oblique cam slot connection between the handle and the ejector plate for 20 subscribed our names.'

-EZRA s. TAYLOR. WILLIAMV H. MUSSEY. 

